Stay Beneath Him (INCOMPLETE) (Levi x Reader Fanfiction)

24: Genuine Concern

  You were alone for hours, staying only in your studio apartment. Huddled on your bed, you finished schoolwork on your laptop while contemplating your time with Levi. 

  You've changed, Levi. You scrolled through the list of assignments for the week, reviewing what you had to finish. So have I, I guess. You've gotten softer and calmer while I've only gotten more aggressive. 

  You picked up your phone, finding no new notifications. He's probably starting his afternoon class about now. I wonder what he's thinking about.

  More time passed with no new revelations. Levi never reached out to you, and you couldn't bring yourself to call him. You were alone, left to your own thoughts without any support to guide you to the right answer. 

  The pale moon shone into your apartment as nighttime dominated the sky. You had finished getting ready for bed much earlier than usual. There was nothing else to do, after all. You felt like a prisoner, not trapped physically but emotionally, bound to your home without any motivation to leave. 

  You laid in bed, staring at the ceiling silently. Your thoughts were as loud as gunfire in your head, unrestrained by distractions. I guess this break was welcome. I've never been able to relax since the conference. You exhaled, taking the weight of your actions off your shoulders temporarily. I don't know what Levi wants me to do, though. I remember what he said, but...I mean, I'm only showing him what he did to me. On a much smaller scale, too. 

  Maybe it is revenge, but I can't help it. Is it really that wrong of me to want this? 

  You rolled over, clutching your pillow. Levi hasn't fought my authority once since it's been established. He's been more compliant than I was. 

  Is he scared? I would be in his position. He seems afraid to lose me, and today he said he was worried about me. What does he want?

  Shutting your eyes, you tried to mute such sporadic thoughts and let sleep take over. 

  You were awoken by your phone ringing the next morning. Your arm flailed around your bed until it landed on the device, then brought it close to your face. You squinted at the time, discovering it was 7 AM. Levi was calling.

  "Hello." You picked up.

  "(Y/n), you should stay home today too," Levi said. 

  "No, I'm coming to the university. I have an internship to take part in."

  "I don't think you should come. I'm just going to agitate you and you won't be able to focus."

  "That's not true. I'll be fine." You sat up and leaned against the headboards. 

  "It's not safe for us to be around each other," Levi said sternly.

  Your expression went sour. It felt rude of him to say, but you couldn't deny it was probably true. "Well..."

  "I'll be fine, but I don't want you to deteriorate any more. You need more time away from me."

  "Is this your way of avoiding danger?" you asked.

  "No. This is purely for your sake."

  "Since when do you care so much about me? I thought I was just a little bitch you could use, right?" You were upset by his unprecedented concern, denying it and turning to anger defensively. 

  "No," he sighed. "But right now isn't the time to talk about that. Listen, I won't have anything for you to do if you come to the academy today. Just stay home. I'll leave you alone."